Letter from an Editor | August 15, 2020

Dear John,

We should be very worried. I don’t mean to fearmonger, and my apologies for perhaps stating so plainly something you are already feeling, but it must be said unequivocally: we should all be very worried about the state of our democracy at this moment —and where we go from here.

This week, the President admitted—on live television—to purposefully defunding the U.S. Postal Service in order to prevent universal mail-in voting, during a worsening pandemic that has so far claimed 167,000 American lives.

“They need that money in order to have the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots,” Trump said in an interview this week. “If they don’t get those two items, that means you can’t have universal mail-in voting because they’re not equipped to have it.”

An unprecedented number of Americans are planning to vote-by-mail for the first time due to coronavirus concerns. And while that is entirely understandable, we are facing a President and an administration who has now openly and unabashedly admitted to tampering with the USPS in what amounts to election interference. We will need to fight to ensure that every single vote is counted this November.

So what can you do about it? Here at Ms ., we focus on solutions journalism—we want to make sure our readers are informed and ready to fight back. Below you will find some of our recent reporting on these issues. Get informed. Then, get registered to vote, and be sure your friends and family are registered. If you plan to vote-by-mail, request your mail-in ballot, and when you receive your ballot, vote and return it as soon as possible. If your state allows you to drop off your ballot instead of mailing it in, do that. If it is possible for you to vote in person, do so. Then, we’ve put together a list of resources to help you get involved beyond voting. [[link removed]]

We are facing a grave threat to our democracy, coming directly from the Oval Office. We must all step up to ensure that every single vote counts. We have less than 80 days to go until Election Day. Let’s get to work.

For equality,
Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor

This Week's Must-Reads from Ms .

Harris’s Diverse Heritage Is a Win for Representation [[link removed]]

“We Have Her Back” Cautions Media Against Sexist VP Coverage [[link removed]]

#SaveThePostOffice: In Defense of USPS [[link removed]]

The Postal Service Is Steadily Getting Worse. Can It Handle a National Mail-In Election? [[link removed]]

The Historic Nomination of Kamala Harris and What it May Mean for November [[link removed]]

Tuesday was a monumental day: Senator Kamala Harris is now the second Democratic woman to become a vice presidential nominee, and the first woman of color to be nominated.

It’s Time to Confront Senator Helms’s Sexist, Racist and Homophobic Legacy [[link removed]]

The Helms Amendment—named for the late, self-proclaimed bigot, Senator Jesse Helms—prohibits U.S. aid for pregnancy terminations. It’s time to repeal the Helms Amendment and replace it with sound policy that supports full reproductive healthcare access.

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: The Global Impact of Harris’s Selection [[link removed]]

Our friend, Cynthia Terrell, founder and executive director of RepresentWomen, is back with another installment of her weekly column, rounding up some of her favorite stories about women’s representation in the news this week.



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